Friday , March 29 2024

Murder Conviction in the Killing of Gits’ Lead Singer

This is a very sad story, but at least it is one with justice at the end:

    MURDERER OF THE GITS LEAD SINGER MIA ZAPATA, CONVICTED OF PREMEDITATED FIRST-DEGREE MURDER. SENTENCING DATE TO BE ANNOUNCED.

    Jesus Mezquia, a 49-year-old Cuban-born man living in Florida, plead not guilty to the charges of first-degree murder for the 1993 death of Seattle-based post-punk outfit The Gits’ lead singer Mia Zapata. But, on Thursday, March 25, 2004, after a three day deliberation, the jury delivered the guilty verdict before King County Superior Court Judge Sharon Armstrong. Mezquia now faces 20 years to life in prison for his crimes. Sentencing will begin in April.

    The trial began March 8, 2004. Mezquia, through DNA evidence, was linked to the murder Zapata, who was strangled to death with the cord of her sweatshirt on July 7, 1993. Her body was found around 3:20am in the streets of Seattle’s Central Area.

    Mezquia was arrested in Florida in January 2003 after DNA evidence linked him to Zapata?s death. He was charged in February 2003 with first-degree murder and brought to Seattle from Miami in March. He has been held, without bail, in a King County Corrections Facility since March 2003.

    Today, Zapata’s friend and former band mate, Steve Moriarty, issued a statement:

      I was in a band called The Gits. We formed in 1986 and moved to Seattle from Ohio in 1989. We released some singles and an album, “Frenching the Bully” in 1992. We had just returned to Seattle from a west coast tour and were finishing our second album, “Enter: the Conquering Chicken” in July of ’93 when our singer, Mia Zapata was abducted and murdered.

      In addition to the police investigation, we hired a private investigator. Every band from Nirvana to Hootie and the Blowfish played benefit shows to help us fund the investigation. The years passed by and few clues were revealed. We never gave up hope that we would find the bastard who killed our friend, plunged our community into fear and ended The Gits.

      Unknown to us, the medical examiner who examined Mia’s body saved a skin sample surrounding Mia’s wounds. In 1993 DNA science was just starting to be used in forensics. The M.E. showed incredible foresight to know that technology would advance to be capable of identifying the man who created the wounds. This DNA sample was put in a national data base of violent felons and matched a guy in Florida. Miami police picked him up and he was extradited to Seattle to face murder charges.

      On March 1st the trial began. I covered the details of the trial on our website. On March 25th he was convicted of the premeditated rape and murder of Mia. Sentencing will be in April. He faces 25 to life in prison. We are hoping that many fans and friends will attend the sentencing to influence the judge to give him the maximum penalty.

      Check the site for the date to be announced soon.

The conviction doesn’t bring her back, but it does bring some closure (sorry about the cliche) for friends and family like Steve. I feel very sorrowful about the loss but I am gratified that the killer was found and convicted.

About Eric Olsen

Career media professional and serial entrepreneur Eric Olsen flung himself into the paranormal world in 2012, creating the America's Most Haunted brand and co-authoring the award-winning America's Most Haunted book, published by Berkley/Penguin in Sept, 2014. Olsen is co-host of the nationally syndicated broadcast and Internet radio talk show After Hours AM; his entertaining and informative America's Most Haunted website and social media outlets are must-reads: Twitter@amhaunted, Facebook.com/amhaunted, Pinterest America's Most Haunted. Olsen is also guitarist/singer for popular and wildly eclectic Cleveland cover band The Props.

Check Also

PAX East Videogame Preview: ‘Dune Awakening’ – The Apparent Savior of the Survival MMO Genre

An amazing early look at 'Dune Awakening' showcases innovative survival mechanics, flexible gameplay and a compelling style blending books and movies.